


The Late Train to Barcelona

by MythicDragonRider



Series: Hidden Magic AU [2]
Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: (But nothing more explicit than making out), Alternate Universe - Flower Shop, Angst, Awkward ass themes and symbolism, Bellona - Freeform, Blood and Violence, Catalan Myth, Ceres, Demigods, Discrimination, Flower meanings, Flowers, Human AU, Magic AU, Magical Creatures AU, Multi, Occasionally Italy or other countries, Potions, Risky things with potions, Roman Myth, Secrets, Set mostly in Spain and Germany, Sexual References, Sort Of, Vandalism, Weapons, physical assault, the pruhun is in the past
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-08-14
Updated: 2018-07-24
Packaged: 2018-12-15 07:20:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 17,231
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11801181
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MythicDragonRider/pseuds/MythicDragonRider
Summary: Lovino and Feliciano Vargas are travelling demigods who take on dangerous jobs, and after they finish one quickly they find themselves in Barcelona for a few extra days. While wandering the streets they find a strange flower shop owned by a man named Antonio, who has an aura unlike any they'd ever felt before. After being asked out on a date by Antonio, Lovino quickly finds himself in a relationship with him. But, as the relationship grows more and more serious, strange things start happening to Antonio that threaten to reveal his hidden secrets.





	1. Pink Camellia

**Author's Note:**

  * For [ULTIMATEENDORSER](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ULTIMATEENDORSER/gifts).



> Hello, lovely readers!  
> If you're new to my stories, welcome! I'm Mythic, I write way too much Hetalia, and I hope you like my stories. This particular story is part of a universe I have created, known as the Hidden Magic AU thus far. Basically, I've incorporated a whole bunch of myths and legends into one world, stuck a magic system on it, and then focused on individual stories within the universe. Part of this series is also taking common romance fanfiction tropes (mermaid, coffee shop, flower shop, etc.) and making an attempedly gripping story with a whole bunch of fun themes and symbolism. I've also incorporated romance elements into them to practice balancing it with plot and not neglecting either.
> 
> This one has two demigods as the main characters, and I'm afraid I've taken a lot of inspiration from Rick Riordan. I'm not too well-versed on the actual myths, so I'm sorry if I get them incorrect.
> 
> The other work I'm currently writing in this series is The Sun on his Scales! Please go over and read it if you enjoy this. It's about Mathias (Denmark) who has lived his entire life in a lake, until one day 4 land-walkers move into the nearby cottage. It has angst, over the top weather symbolism, and gradual DenNor and some side SuFin.
> 
> Okay, on with the show!

**Pink Camellia:**  
_This flower usually will increase the chances of coming across someone unexpected. You may or may not already know them, but their presence will be a surprise. They work best in bunches, so there's more and more likelihood of the encounter. To grow this, periodically get someone new to water it, while still taking up most of the time doing so. Outdoors is preferred, but not necessary. For experts, you may try taking it inside for the same hour each day, and with some luck it will be within that time period when you come across them._

Though Lovino had never been to Barcelona, he could've imagined what it was like. Though it probably wasn't as grand as his hometown of Rome, and had significant cultural differences, it still was exceptionally similar in his mind. In fact most of Europe blurred together for him, and he certainly wasn't as enthusiastic as his brother to go exploring all the dark alleyways of boring old cities. But it just so happened that his job required the constant travelling, so he and Feliciano found themselves in yet another place he would've preferred as Osaka or Rio de Janeiro - anywhere that was more exciting.  
It was even worse now because they had already completed their quest, received their reward, and now had nothing to do. They had been booked for another job in Spain, so Feliciano had insisted that they stay here for a week and do all that typical tourist stuff. Sightseeing - even though they had already seen them while chasing down a pack of crazed Bacchus worshippers - and buying souvenirs with the money they had earned from apprehending said worshippers.

There really was only one thing that Lovino was interested in, and that was magical goods. The biggest difference in every country he had been to, besides language and some culture, were the things that they sold. In Rome, he had grown used to the potion-laced bread that they sold down at the local bakery, but Marseille had been the home of unconventional weaponry and Opava had exceptional stealth items that still hung on his leather belt. His former visits to Spain had been brief at most, and he wanted to quickly check out what sorts of things it had. Of course that would've taken a day at most, but his damn brother had been so determined to see dusty old buildings that it was only on day three that they were finally looking around the more interesting parts of town.

The South Italian had high hopes for this place, though he doubted it would come up to standard of the ever-comparable Michelstadt. Well, that was the only place where there had been anyone worth meeting (not that those bastards were actually interesting to Lovino, but since that German kept Feliciano happy he didn't loathe them that much). As they wondered around, he began to feel very disappointed, because it didn't have much more than unexceptional potion shops and fraudulent weapons. He was about to give up and go back to the hotel room for the rest of the week, but then they found it.  
Really they hadn't done much more than stumbled across it, but Lovino felt a faint sense of interest as he looked upon the hunched little shop.  
'Antonio's Magical Flora'

Normally he would've just scoffed at the name, a pillar of the ignorance of normal humans in relation to his world. But, he knew that the sign was telling the truth because he felt a faint aura coming from within the store. It was unlike anything he had ever felt before, and no matter how much he focused he couldn't line it up to any sort of creature he had come across before. He had met a lot of the things, so that was intriguing by itself. Furthermore, he had never come across anything quite like it. Magic flowers? The concept was enough for him, accompanied by an excited Feliciano, to step into the shop, bell ringing loudly.  
Immediately, a young man popped his head up, barely visible over the cluttered mess of flowers, "Hello! Oh, wait there, give me a second!"

He placed down a potted hyacinth and brushed some soil off his cloth apron, then ran to the front, extending a gloved hand.  
"Welcome to my shop! I'm Antonio, but you can call me Toni, and let me guess… You guys are demigods?"  
Lovino was alarmed at the rate he had identified them, since demigod aura was much weaker than others and they had the ability to disable it if they so chose. Wait, he had disabled his aura, right? He was too annoyed by the upbeat man to think about it, and scowled as he continued.  
"I'm guessing I got that correct! Okay, okay, let me see. Your mother," Antonio pointed at Lovino, "is Athena!"  
The Italian rolled his eyes, "Nice try bastard, but it's Roman, not Greek, and it's not even Minerva. It's Bellona, get it right."   
The Spaniard theatrically snapped his fingers, "I always Greek and Roman confused! Then, the other one… You must be the child of Ceres?"

Feliciano giggled in an airheaded manner, "You've got that right! Do you want some wheat?"  
He took out his ever-present wheat from the jacket he was wearing and handed it to the other. After getting over the slight surprise Antonio happily took it, "This is some good wheat."  
"Thank you! I grew it myself."  
Lovino sighed. He was surrounded by idiots.  
As those two continued to bicker on, he looked around the store. All the flowers were brightly coloured and visually pleasing, but that really wasn't much different to a normal florist. So he asked, "Hey Antoni-bastard, what exactly is so magical about this flora?"  
The shop owner grinned, "Firstly, that's really not a clever insult with my name. Secondly, I'm glad you asked!"

Antonio tossed himself into a nearby wheelie chair, all rackety and falling apart. Then, he grabbed a book lying on the floor next to it. It seemed to be some repurposed diary, the place where the title would be haphazardly sticky-taped over with a piece of yellow card. It read 'The Special Magical Index of Special Magical Flowers', which made Lovino sneer as the other man flicked through it.  
"Ah, here's a good one! Gone through a bad breakup or gotten some sort of criminal record? Simply use a lily of the valley!"  
The florist grabbed a conveniently placed pot of the aforementioned flower, which made Lovino suspect this was some sort of rehearsed performance.  
"After growing it with the correct method, simply breathe in its pollen. Then you'll notice that people don't pay attention to you anymore! Perfect for going off the record."

Lovino's suspicions grew as he noticed the next page that was flipped to was obviously dog-eared.  
"Is your friendship suffering in some way? Then I've got just the deal for you! Sunflowers," Antonio picked up a nearby potted sunflower, "never fail to do the job! Just breathe in that pollen and you'll find that your best friend has become your bestest friend. Don't worry about being honest with people or finding out why something's wrong! Manipulate them with my wonderful magic goods!"  
The South Italian marched over to Antonio and forcibly shut the book, "Not doing a great sales job, Toni-bastard. Now, please tell me. Why should I buy these flowers when I could easily go over to Lud and Gil's and get discounted, quality potions?"

Pretty much everyone in the magical community knew about the German brothers, the two famous potion brewers known for their risky behaviour with magical ingredients. When they actually managed to make something that didn't explode, they were the best in the business, but they had grown rather infamous for their unnervingly experimental wares and frustrating refund policy. Getting a discount there was like winning the lottery, because it also meant the potions were more, well, safe.  
The Spaniard frowned at the name drop, "Don't talk to me about those two. I don't know how you know them or why you get a discount, but you really shouldn't go there if you want to live."  
Feliciano grew as indignant as he could at this comment, "Don't insult them like that!"  
Antonio shrugged, "I'll look into how you guys know them later. Right now, I must tell you why my flowers are a thousand times better than potions!"

He launched the wheelie chair away from Lovino and stopped at another part of shop, picking up a pink camellia, "Flowers are so pretty, y'know? They look so much nicer than any gross potions, plus they smell nice as well."  
The South Italian rolled his eyes once again, "You're going to have to say a lot more than that if you want me to buy."  
"Don't interrupt me! I'm going somewhere with this… After all, you guys are demigods, aren't you? I'm sure you've wanted to cast spells on people before, horrible curses for people you hate or protection spells for people you cherish. My flowers make this easy. Nobody's going to drink a chunky acid-green liquid you give them, but I'm sure people would want to accept flowers. It's just a harmless bouquet after all, what could it do? The advantage of my brand is that it's totally unsuspecting, because nobody else uses it. Plus, you get some gardening skills in the process."  
Lovino nodded, "Hm, interesting argument."  
Feliciano exclaimed, "Wait, wait, I have a question! You say all this stuff about gardening, but isn't all this stuff already grown and picked?"

The florist grabbed what appeared to be a cutting, "Look, there's two ways to buy my goods. Firstly, you can buy bouquets, all pre-grown and packaged for you to enjoy. But, that's terribly boring, and also is much more expensive and less effective. Then, you've got the cuttings and sprouting flowers. If you take care of these with the instructions I give you and use them immediately when they bloom, they will be so much more potent. You're gonna have to wear a facemask the last few days you're looking after it if you don't want the effects, but it's so much better. As for the bouquets, they work when say you some sort of magic word or whatever."  
Lovino raised an eyebrow, "For someone selling the bouquets, you seem awfully uncertain about them."  
"I don't really care about them, y'know? I added them in so my store looks better and so I can get more money off unknowing humans, but for people in the Otherworld like you, I expect much more."

As the Spaniard was talking, Lovino had been trying to identify what sort of creature he was. The aura was unlike anything he had felt before, which was a huge thing for someone who constantly fought malevolent beings, met with benevolent people, and everything in-between. Soon, the curiosity was just getting to him, so he asked a question.  
"Look, can I just ask something? What sort of creature are you? I can't read your aura at all."  
Antonio paused for a second at this query, but quickly responded, "Ah, that's a question I get a lot. Basically, I'm this rare subspecies of nymph that not many people know about. It was never named because it's practically identical to nymphs aside from a few differences such what we can be bonded with. As for me, I'm sure you can figure out what I'm bonded with."  
He idly stroked the petals of a daisy, as if it weren't already obvious.  
Feliciano smiled excitedly, "That's so nice! I'd love to be a flower. It would be so much fun."  
The not-nymph looked at the flower with an unreadable expression, "Yes, it definitely is."

Lovino yawned, "Okay, great, you're a flower boy. So tell me - how much are these things? The ones for growing, I mean."  
"Ah-ha, I've won you over! Well, it depends on the flower and how strong the effects are, so just pick something out and I'll tell you how much it is. The range is about, uhh… 30 euros to 70 euros."  
It was surprisingly cheap for magical goods, so he began to look around. His eyes were drawn to a bush growing in a large pot, which he started to inspect by turning it over, "What does this do?"  
"That's blackthorn. It causes you great misfortune," Antonio grinned menacingly. Lovino's hand recoiled from it, which made the other man snort.  
Feliciano was drawn to some cacti with blooming flowers, "Oooo, these are pretty!"  
"You have a good eye there. Those cactus flowers increase familial love, which I'm sure is relevant to you two. 45 euros!"  
Without hesitation he forked over the money, and Antonio handed over a budding cactus, "You don't need to water it regularly, but keep it inside in your bedroom. After three weeks, place it in the living room and it will hopefully start to bloom. Keep it in a tightly sealed container until you get home."  
Feliciano dutifully wrote this down, and as the florist put it into a container, Lovino went to the pink camellia that had been picked up before.

"What's the effects of this?" he inquired.  
Antonio came over and looked at what he had chosen, "Ah, that's an interesting one. It'll increase your chances of meeting someone unexpected, whether you know them or not. Only 30 euros."  
Lovino didn't really care about the effects, and only wanted a souvenir. It seemed relatively harmless and was rather cheap, so he ended up buying it. As Antonio gave him some instructions, he noticed the man's large gardening gloves. He hadn't payed much attention to them before, but now that he thought about it, it really was curious. Surely he would take them off when handling more delicate plants like the camellia, and it was hot outside so they seemed unnecessary. After the information, Lovino asked, "Why are you still wearing those gloves? You're handling flowers, shouldn't you remove them?"  
This made him pause, and look nervously down at them. He was grasping them tightly as if he didn't want them to come off, "Uh, I'm a florist. I… Wear gloves."  
"That's not an explanation. You know this seems really suspicious?"

Feliciano noticed what was going on and went into his serious mode, rarely seen outside of missions, "You're a magical creature we've never heard of. It's best if you don't do anything weird or suspicious in front of us demigods."  
Antonio sighed, "Fine."  
He hesitantly took off one of his gloves, and the two were surprised to see thick bandages underneath, soaked with blood. It was quickly covered up, and he forced a smile.  
"Thank you for buying at my store!" he exclaimed, and swiftly pushed them out of the shop. As the two voiced their protests, he slammed the door. They were left in silence before the door opened up again, Antonio sticking out his head, "Please come again soon!"

Feliciano and Lovino stared at the store, and the same thought occurred to both of them. They were definitely coming back.


	2. Chickweed

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Trains, rings, and beautiful things.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, lovely readers!  
> Whoa. Yes, I'm alive and I'm actually updating this story. Insane, right?  
> I kind of forgot about it for a long ass time before getting back into my own AU (Hidden Magic) and realising how much I loved and missed this story.  
> I got a huge burst of inspiration and planned out the full thing now, so there's way more chance of me actually updating regularly.  
> So, yeah. If any of you guys are still reading, enjoy!

**Chickweed:**  
_Though it is not necessarily a flower, chickweed still has magical properties. It helps increase the chances of a new, platonic relationship lasting. You are unable to choose who the person is that it affects. Let it grow in your backyard and water it with carbonated beverages. If the beverage was a gift to you from anyone, the chances will be exponentially increased. It grows best in the spring or autumn, but a veteran gardener may want to grow it in hot or cold conditions for an extra challenge. The temperature does not affect the chances of the relationship._

Lovino and Feliciano stayed in Córdoba for only two days, where they tracked down a group of kobaloi which had been causing trouble, brought it back to their employer's house, realised the employer had fled and scammed them, then screamed angrily at nothing in particular. Well, the last one had only been performed by Lovino, but he was sure that his brother also felt the frustration. As freelance demigods, they couldn't do much in situations like this except try to track down the person who had robbed them (which usually was a waste of time). Though they had considered demanding pay before they performed the task, not many people would trust them that way, and scamming was thankfully rare due to how intimidating two powerful demigods could be.

Left with a bitter taste in his mouth, Lovino couldn't relax on the train ride back to Barcelona. He found himself grasping the hilt of his sword underneath the blankets that were disguising his weapons. Feliciano noticed this and put on a worried expression, sitting down next to him, starting a conversation in Italian, "I'm sure we'll get a better job soon! There was that request from the Netherlands, right?"  
His brother scowled, "That was trolls or something like that. I don't want to have to deal with Norse things again. Leave that to Lukas."  
Feliciano frowned, "Is he doing requests again?"  
"No. I was just using that bastard as an example. Probably too busy fucking around with the vampire."  
They both tensed at the thought of that species. Last time they had dealt with a vampire, it hadn't ended well. Ludwig luckily had the potions to fix things, but Feliciano still had bite marks on his ankle.

Suddenly realising how dark the mood had gotten, the North Italian tried a smile, "Well, that's enough talking about that! Oh, what about that flower we met?"  
Feliciano had a bad habit of confusing nymphs with their non-sentient counterparts.  
Lovino smirked at this, "He was definitely hiding something. Maybe those things he sold us are poisonous."  
The response to this was accompanied by a yawn, "I hope not! They're too pretty to kill us. Well, I suppose we said the same about that wind spirit…"  
"Go to sleep," Lovino instructed, despite the fact there was only an hour left on the train.  
His brother didn't object to this, and snuggled up against him. This made Lovino feel just a little bit better, and he relaxed his grip on the sword, letting his tensed shoulders droop down. Getting scammed was extremely irritating, but it wasn't like it was the end of the world. They'd just have to resist buying any magical goods until they got another job.

Thinking about magical goods, his mind drifted back to the florist they had discovered the other day. Antonio seemed just a little suspicious, so he wanted to look into that, but there was also something else about him that was odd. It was something like potential, the potential to know this person. It wasn't some mystical force, he felt it with a lot of people, but maybe he just wanted to follow through with it.  
Lovino hugged his brother with one arm and gripped his weapon with the other.

\---

It was late afternoon when Lovino and Feliciano arrived in Barcelona again, and they decided just to get a hotel room and relax for the rest of the day. There wasn't much they could do, since the next day they were going to take a train up to Germany. Though Lovino didn't know why, Feliciano had asked if they could visit Ludwig and Gilbert. He didn't mind, since they provided free accommodation and food, and maybe they could find a job there while they were at it. The two never would've been people he'd want to even be around if it were just him, but it was Feliciano's fascination with their potions and eventual relationship with Ludwig that had him hanging around. He tolerated their personalities, now.

While they were hanging out in the hotel room, Feliciano seemed to be nervous about something. Reading one of the books he had, he was also fiddling nervously with his clothes. He wasn't really one for nervous habits, only if something was really worrying him, so it concerned Lovino. He wasn't really one to initiate heartfelt conversations, but didn't want his brother to feel anxious about anything.  
Lovino tried to be causal, sitting on the bed next to him, "...You're worried about something."  
Feliciano slowly nodded, and turned his head to him, though he was averting his eyes, "Uh, can I go out to do something tonight?"

"Why?" Lovino frowned.  
"Um… I… Want to buy something. And I know that we can't afford that because we were scammed, but I've been saving up for this for a while now so I think I have enough, I won't-"  
He interrupted the other, "What exactly do you want to buy, Feli?"  
Feliciano sunk into the bed a little, and glanced back to his book. After a little bit of what seemed to be deliberation, he finally answered, "I'll tell you. I think you deserve to know - you're my brother, after all. Yes, it's a good idea. Well, what I wanted… I want… I need to… I want to propose to Ludwig."  
Though he stammered over the sentence, he said the last part with conviction.  
This didn't take Lovino completely off guard. His brother had been dating Ludwig for over a year, and their relationship was doing exceptionally well. But, that didn't mean that he wasn't feeling trepidation. It didn't mean that he wasn't scared - because he was, he was terrified of seeing someone he had known his entire life, who he cared for more than anything, making such a decision.

But he knew that it would go well, that they were wonderful together. He knew that his brother was mature enough to be able to handle such a choice. And most of all, he knew that he had no place in interfering even if that little part of him wanted to.  
So instead of protesting in any manner, Lovino threw his arms around Feliciano, "Good luck, Feli."  
They were in the embrace for what felt like forever, but was still too short, and once they finally broke apart, Lovino quietly said, "Not that you need it…"  
Feliciano broke out into a huge smile, "Thank you."  
He got up, placed the book down, and quietly walked up to the door, opening it.�"I'll be back soon."

\---

The wedding ring in Feliciano's pocket felt heavy. He really shouldn't be worried about this, considering he knew how much Ludwig loved him and how long they had been dating and how much they cared for each other, but a big life choice came with a lot of nervousness. What if he was being too hasty? Feliciano was told he was too hasty an awful lot. His papa Julius used to say it all the time. What if Ludwig didn't want to get married yet? What happened when that happened? He only watched movies where the proposal was accepted, so he didn't know! What did they do with the leftover ring?

He could almost hear Lovino telling him to calm down because he was psyching himself out, so he took a deep breath and slowed his pace a little bit. Barcelona was very pretty to walk through at night, and he should enjoy it because he had to go the next day. Yes, he should just enjoy the precious, fleeting, Spanish scenery and hope that Ludwig wanted to marry Feliciano and much as Feliciano wanted to marry him. Or maybe a little less would be fine. Feliciano wanted it an awful lot, after all, so maybe it would still be accepted even if Ludwig was just a little under his level of wanting-to-get-married. It all would be okay, especially since Lovi had given his blessing, which he hadn't needed to go through with it but helped him quite a bit.

He was so preoccupied with his thoughts and the pretty Barcelona lights that he didn't notice somebody was trying to get his attention until their hand was on his shoulder.  
Demigod instincts kicking in, he whipped around and his hand went to his belt, where a hidden dagger hung instead of his usual heavy broadsword.�"Whoa, hey!" said his assailant, stumbling back and holding up their hands. Suddenly, Feliciano realised it was Antonio.  
"Ah, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry! I was spacing out like I usually do and when I felt a hand on my shoulder I assumed-"�"Hey, it's okay," he smirked, "I should've known better than to do that to a demigod."

Feliciano smiled and nodded, then said, "You're the flower I met! Antonio, right?"  
"Yep!" he replied, giving a sunny grin, "And you're… The customer I saw recently."  
The demigod frowned, "Oh, we didn't introduce ourselves to you! I'm so sorry, that's awfully rude. My papa Julius always told me to introduce myself to new people."  
He held out his hand, "My name is Feliciano Vargas! My brother, the one you saw the other day, is Lovino."

Toni took it, "Nice to meet you!"  
Feliciano started walking again and he tagged along, keeping an even pace.  
"You too! I'm going tomorrow, so I'm glad I got to see you again! It's lucky that you managed to find me in this whole city," Feliciano grinned. It was a little strange, but was probably just a coincidence. He had been around Others long enough to know when they were malicious, and there didn't seem to be anything dangerous about Toni's smile.  
He nodded, "Yes, it is. What have you been doing these past few days?"  
"Ah!" Feliciano said as they turned a corner, "We actually haven't spent the entire time here. We went up to Córdoba for a job, then came back here. We're heading out to Germany tomorrow!"

Raising an eyebrow, Toni replied, "You finished a job that quickly?"  
"Well…" the demigod smiled sheepishly, unsure if he should be saying this, "We did, it was a group of kobaloi. Do you know about those?"  
"Yep! Recorded by the Greeks, right?" he said.  
"That's right! But we ended up getting scammed by our employer…" Feliciano sighed.  
Toni frowned, "Really? I would never think about scamming a demigod… Does it happen to you often?"  
"Well, most people wouldn't! But some people are just crazy," he replied, frowning, "It doesn't happen too often, though, so it's mostly okay! We just need to find a new job soon, after we go up to Germany. Maybe we could even do something in Spain… Hey, are you having any problems lately?"

When formerly he had been keeping up with the conversation, the florist was surprised to find that he had suddenly gotten lost, "Uh… No, not really. None that you can stab, anyway."  
Feliciano giggled, "That's a shame! What kind of Others cause trouble here, anyway? We've only really seen Greek and Roman stuff… Isn't there anything from the local lore? Catalan, right?"  
"Not really that much, actually," Toni mused, "Catalan creatures tend to be very good at hiding… Plus they don't harass people that much, at least not anymore."  
"That's a shame!" the demigod replied, "Well, not the not-being-harassed part, but I think it'd be fun to meet a few Catalan creatures!"  
Toni smiled, a little strangely, "Ah, you probably wouldn't… Our creatures really aren't that interesting."  
Feliciano glanced at him curiously.

He realised that they had made it back to the hotel, he said, "Ah, here's where I'm staying! I better go. It's getting late and I'm leaving early tomorrow and I have a big day tomorrow so I want some sleep."  
"Leaving early?" Toni said, "That's a shame. You could've stopped by my shop again!"  
"We'll come back soon!" Feliciano assured him, and suddenly decided without Lovino, "Your flowers are pretty, so I'd like to see them again."  
"I'd love that!" the florist smiled.

"I'll see you, then!" he replied, and turned to go into the hotel.  
"Uh, wait," Toni quickly said, "Can I say one more thing?"  
Feliciano turned, frowning, "Hm?"  
The other man seemed a bit nervous, fiddling with the gloves he was still wearing. Then he reached into the bag he was carrying, and pulled out a white flower in a ceramic pot. Feliciano blinked, "Um, I-"  
"Ah, this isn't for you!" Toni quickly said, "Can you… Uh… Give this to your brother - Lovino - for me?"

He softly said, "Oh. Ohhhhh…"  
Then he broke out into a huge grin and took the flower, "Of course!"  
Toni smiled, "It's a gardenia. It'll give you good dreams if you put it near your bed before you sleep."  
Rather childishly, Feliciano started to giggle, "Of course, of course. I'll give it to him, and we'll definitely come back soon!"

Still giggling, he said his goodbyes and went back into his hotel, grasping the flowerpot tightly. It didn't take long for him to climb up the stairs and unlock the door to his hotel room, almost skipping in.  
"Loviii! Guess who I just bumped into!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'll be updating more regularly now. I now know that there will be 24 2000-3000 word chapters, so it really isn't that strenuous. If I do manage to complete it, it'll be the first multi-chap I actually had the commitment to finish, so hopefully it'll happen!  
> We have quite a ride ahead of us, so strap in and enjoy.


	3. Betony

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Talks about the future, present, and past.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, lovely readers!  
> This chapter has a bit of drama at the end, so sorry if that's not your cup of tea...  
> There will be more Spamano next chapter, so hold on until then!  
> I also wrote an additional chapter on Feliciano's proposal, but since it doesn't quite fit with the pacing and is a bit short I'm not sure if I should upload it... Maybe if I can't find inspiration for Chapter 4 and want to keep you guys occupied.  
> Enjoy!

**Betony:**  
_The betony will resolve a circumstance that has been a long time coming, like a promotion or break-up.�You must start growing it as young as possible, and you will have to water it with mineral water every day and treat it with fertiliser and insect repellent that you made yourself. If you produce this effectively, then it will start growing, but it will do so much more slowly than one that has not been activated, for even a few years. The betony is one of the hardest to grow and is recommended only for experts._

As Lovino was packing up, there wasn't a second where he wasn't grumbling.  
"I just can't believe him!" he growled, sheathing a dagger he had been using to peel an apple, "He barely knows me! He doesn't even know I'm interested in guys!"  
Feliciano tilted his head as he smoothed down his bedsheets, "But you're gay, Lovi. You are interested in-"  
"That's not the point!" his brother cut him off, starting to turn a rather spectacular shade of red, "The point is that he didn't know that."  
"You've chased straight guys before," Feliciano shrugged, fluffing a pillow.

"Yes, yes, but I wasn't so obvious-" Lovino gritted his teeth, "Nevermind. Whatever, you don't get it."  
To his irritation, his brother giggled at this, "I do! You seem to forget about my sexuality!"  
"But- ugh, no. Nevermind."  
Feliciano finished making his bed, though to the bare minimum, Lovino noticed. He walked over and sat down next to him, and continued to pack up his own stuff, smiling slightly, "Maybe this will be good for you! When was the last time you reached a second date? When was the last time you reached a first date?"

Lovino almost squawked at the audacity of his brother, none of which was reflected in how he was innocently packing away his broadsword. He exclaimed, "Well, not everyone can meet an annoying German bastard in an annoying German town and fall in love like in a fairy tale and never seem to have problems except for that one time you had an argument about fettuccine!"  
His brother smirked, but not cruelly, waving off the impromptu rant, "Yes, yes, I know! Not everyone is lucky like me to meet someone like Ludwig."  
Then, rather strangely, his mischievous smile turned a little softer, "But you won't be able to meet someone like that if you never take any chances and never go on any dates! Toni seems nice, Lovi. Why don't you just give him a chance?"  
A few seconds passed as Lovino looked him up and down, and then crinkled his nose, "I hate it when you're wise, Feli."

"Yay!" Feliciano cheered, forcing his brother into a hug.  
Lovino shoved him off, "I'm trying to pack. Maybe you should try, too, and go fix your bed."  
His cheerful mood immediately left him, and a frown was plastered on his face, "Why?! It is not my job to make beds, it is the people in the hotels'! And I do not want the hotel people to lose their jobs because I'm doing all their work and I'm-"  
"Feli, go make your bed."  
He groaned, "Fine."

But as Feliciano got up to properly make his bed, Lovino glimpsed something more than laziness in his somewhat troubled expression.  
…Of course. They would arrive in Germany that night, and then his brother would see Ludwig and ask a certain question. He had been so irritated with the Spaniard and he had, rather selfishly, almost completely forgotten.  
He turned back to his pack, which he was strapping his longsword to, and said, "Feli, you really have nothing to worry about. You've known that German bastard for a long time and because of that so have I and I know he will accept or have a very good reason for not accepting. And if he does not I will punch him in the face."  
"No!" Feliciano exclaimed, "Don't punch Ludwig in the face! That would be very mean and I would be sad because-"  
"I will not have to. Because he will accept."

He nodded, but didn't seem fully convinced. Then an idea seemed to come to him, and he once again smiled mischievously, "I will stop worrying about this if you take Toni on a date!"  
This time, Lovino couldn't stop himself from squawking at his audacity, "What?! How does that even work?! And stop calling him 'Toni', you've only just met him!"  
"But he asked us to call him that!" Feliciano giggled, "Come on, agree to my deal! C'monnnn! Lovi, go on a date with T-"  
"Fine!" he snapped, "But just one."  
"Unless you like him and go on more!" his brother added, and walked over to hold out his hand in a rather ridiculous gesture.

Lovino rolled his eyes but shook it, "Fine. But I will not and we will not."  
"Don't be so negative! He's nice! I can see you together," he said, too resolutely.  
"Whatever. Keep packing."  
As they finished up in the hotel room, Lovino's eyes were continuously being drawn to the flower which Antonio had gotten him, which he hadn't packed yet. As much as he hated to admit it, his dream last night had been better than usual… And that was the reason he was keeping it. Nothing else.  
Despite himself, he found himself thinking about how pretty it was.

\---

It was dark by the time they got to Michelstadt, but that didn't bother Feliciano. He strode forth with all the energy of someone who didn't fight mythical creatures for a living, and Lovino trailed behind him with all the energy of someone who wanted to go to sleep. Nevertheless, he had no plans for sleep in the near future, because he had to see if he was going to punch Ludwig. The air was brisk, since winter was approaching, and the dark streets illuminated by streetlamps were mostly deserted. Maybe if his determination wasn't going to keep him awake, the cold air would.

When they reached the shop, the sign prominently said in both German and English that it was closed, but Feliciano got out his key and unlocked the door, "We're here!"  
The front of the store was deserted, so they headed towards the door behind the counter, which also had a sign that was only in German. It read 'employees only', but Feliciano had long ago graffitied it in red pen, so 'and friends' was added in Italian.  
They walked through the door and there was still nobody in sight, but that was fine. It was the potions room, where a variety of strange-looking ingredients covered the shelves, a concerning amount of stains covered the floor, and a biting, acidic smell was inescapable. Lovino didn't like this room.

They quickly climbed up the stairs, and up there in the kitchen finally they saw Ludwig and Gilbert, sitting down at the table.  
Gilbert grinned immediately upon seeing them, "'Sup!"  
In response to this, Lovino rolled his eyes, "Hey."  
Immediately, Feliciano made a beeline for Ludwig and threw his arms around him, kissing him on the cheek, "Ludwig! I know it's only been a few weeks but I missed you! It was a pretty interesting two weeks, as well! We met a friendly flower and got scammed - that wasn't fun - and did I mention the flower?"  
His boyfriend smiled, "I missed you too, Feliciano. You can tell me all about the, uh, flower?"  
Feliciano giggled, but then looked away slightly, "Do you want to go for a walk?"

Lovino blinked. While he understood the want for privacy, he was surprised Feliciano was doing it so soon. It seemed that he wasn't keeping side of the promise, and was very nervous about what he was about to ask. But, he couldn't find it within himself to blame him.  
They left to go on their walk quickly, Feliciano saying a hurried goodbye as they went down the stairs holding each other's hands. It was then Lovino realised he would have to spend some time with the most unbearable person in the world.  
"It seems we're alone!" Gilbert smirked.  
"Shut up, bastard."

Regardless of this, the German continued, "Tell me about what happened! What was that about a flower? And you got scammed?"  
He sneered but sat down at the table, "Fine, I'll tell you. I assume nothing interesting happened to you, as always."  
Gilbert shrugged, "Nah. I mean, we brewed a pretty sweet new potion, but it's for nymphs so I'd guess you're not interested."  
Lovino's mind immediately drifted to Antonio, but he snapped himself out of it and said, "Of course not."  
"Then tell me about the flower!"  
"Get me some coffee first."

The alchemist crinkled his nose, but studied Lovino's face and knew he wouldn't win this argument. He sighed and said, "Fine. But tell me everything! How many jobs did you get? Were they hard?"  
"I don't know why you're interested," he replied, watching to make sure Gilbert got up and put the kettle on, "But fine. We only had three jobs, one in Switzerland, the other two in Spain… Nothing interesting, but the last one we did, we got fucking scammed! The employer ran away and didn't pay us, the bastard."  
The Italian sneered at Gilbert's laugh, "That's rough, buddy! Don't you have any way to avoid situations like that?"  
"Well usually we'd monitor the employer, but kobaloi are unpredictable and… Nevermind, you wouldn't understand with your job."

He shrugged, getting out two mugs, "I'm sure I would! Now, what was that about a flower? C'mon, I'm interested!"  
Lovino huffed, "We had some time to spare in Barcelona, so we explored and looked for interesting shops. It was mostly boring shit, or even fake weapons, but we did find something interesting…"  
He paused for a second, before saying, "It was a flower shop."  
Gilbert raised an eyebrow, stirring the coffees, "Flowers, huh? What's so interesting about that?"  
"Well, the flowers were magical! Can you believe it? Did all sorts of shit… From causing good dreams to cursing your enemies."

There was yet another loud, annoying laugh, and the German sat back down at the table, sliding Lovino his coffee, "Sounds like you were scammed there too, buddy! Sure, flowers have alchemical properties, but they don't work unless they're activated with other ingredients."  
He shook his head, thinking of the dreams he had last night, "No, it's real… I'm a sceptic, bastard, and I believed it. Plus, I'm pretty sure it worked."  
Gilbert frowned, taking a sip of coffee, "Huh… I should meet the staff, ask them about their techniques."  
"Actually, there was only one person. The owner," Lovino said, and the other once again did that annoying eyebrow-raise, "His name was Antonio, but he was annoying and asked us to call him 'Toni'. He's actually the flower, by the way. Apparently he's some subspecies of nymph that can be bonded with flowers."  
Gilbert, rather melodramatically, pretended to choke on his coffee, "Really? That might be useful for our new potion! I really gotta meet this guy."

Lovino nodded, and once again his stupid mind drifted that stupid flower and the stupid Spaniard who had given it to him, "Also… That fucking Antonio bastard flirted with me."  
This time, there was no need for Gilbert to fake choking on his coffee. Once he recovered, he laughed loudly again, much to Lovino's irritation, "Really?! Wow, someone flirted with you! Better snatch him up, Lovi, you won't get this chance again!"  
He snarled back, "Shut the fuck up! And don't call me Lovi!"  
Gilbert shrugged, "You're just proving my point."  
The Italian growled and took a huge gulp of coffee.

They sat in silence for a few seconds, before Lovino narrowed his eyes at how Gilbert was looking at him expectantly, and said, "Well, there. I told you my life story. What do you want now?"  
Once again, he did the annoying eyebrow raise while emptying his cup, and once he had finished he said, "That's it? Didn't you flirt back? Tell me all the details!"  
"No. I didn't," he replied, wrinkling his nose in response.  
"What? Why not? C'mon, man! This Antonio guy sounds nice," Gilbert smirked.�"You haven't even met him!" Lovino said, "And it's complicated. Whatever."  
The German sighed and shook his head with a playful grin, "Oh, Lovi. When will you put in the effort to actually explain things instead of pretending they're not important or that I won't understand?"

All at once, Lovino seemed to get very embarrassed, angry, and confused, "Wh-What?! What do you mean, bastard?!"  
He also got very red.  
Gilbert cackled "You should see your face! It's hilarious!"  
"Shut up!" he replied, taking a big sip of his coffee, "I-I've got a lot on my mind!"  
Getting up from his seat, Gilbert simply smirked, "You stutter a lot when you're embarrassed, Lovi."  
Lovino's face darkened, "Fuck you."

The smirk dropped from his face as he started to wash his mug, "Why is it always like this, Lovino? Why can't you just have a conversation with me?"  
Tightening the grip on his half-full mug, Lovino said, "I did have a conversation."  
"Look!" Gilbert suddenly exclaimed, turning with a dishcloth in his hand and splashing an unamused Italian, "I just don't understand why you're like this all the time! Why are you so grumpy? How does that help when you talk to people? And what changes when Feliciano is sad and suddenly you're kind and supportive?"  
He narrowed his eyes, gripping his mug even tighter, "I'm a cynic. I don't need to-"  
Gilbert laughed, but instead of raucous and full of humour like his usual laughs, it was bitter and mirthless, "Really? That's what you're saying?"

They stared each other down for a few seconds, before he shook his head and looked away, "Fine. You don't get it. Whatever."  
He finished washing his mug and slammed it down into the drying rack, and Lovino said, "Really? You're not clever, you're just a hypocrite."  
Gilbert tutted him, "No more than you. 'Where's my girlfriend', indeed."  
"Just shut up."  
Once again, he laughed, and Lovino didn't like the sound. It was no longer just humourless; there was an edge to it, "That's another thing you do, by the way! When you're losing an argument, you just swear!"�"Who said I was losing?!"

Gilbert glared at him, his red eyes narrowed and his teeth gritted, "You just don't know when to give up, huh?"  
When there was no response, he sighed and shook his head again, picking up his mug from the rack and starting to dry it, "You really should give that Antonio guy a shot. Maybe if someone actually cared about you, you'd be less of a dick."  
"Feliciano cares about me!" Lovino snarled, "Leave me the fuck alone!"  
Starting to dry it with more intensity, Gilbert snapped, "Well, maybe Feliciano doesn't make the best decisions about who to care about!"  
"Clearly, considering why I'm in this kitchen!"

And suddenly, Gilbert paused. So did Lovino.  
He looked down at his now-cold drink, ashamed, "Fuck. Dammit. Nevermind."  
Gilbert sighed, "We don't matter, Lovi. Not in their relationship."  
"I know."

He slammed down the mug back in the rack, only half-dried, and walked out of the kitchen.  
Lovino looked down at his, staring at his own reflection. He took a sip. It was cold and disgusting.  
He leaned back and sighed. Why on this night?  
Lovino Vargas waited for his brother to get back.


	4. EXTRA (Red Rose)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You know what's up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, lovely readers!  
> After I realised I accidentally built this into the next chapter, I just decided to publish it. There's nothing wrong with it, it's just a bit short.  
> To make up for it, though, the next chapter is rather long! Hold on, pals, because it's coming soon.  
> Enjoy!

**Red Rose:**  
_The quintessential symbol of love, the red rose has misconceptions and misinterpretations. It does not cause true love or even increase how much someone loves you, because true love is not made through trickery. Instead it may simply remind someone of how much you love them, or how much they love you. This is useful in many circumstances since we sometimes forget the most important things. It must be cultivated from seed, placed on a windowsill where the sun can easily reach it but do not place it near any other plants. It must also be watered every day._

Despite everything, Ludwig thought he led a relatively simple life. He ran a potion shop with his brother, upstairs to which he lived, and they took turns cooking and read books and, most of all, invented new potions. But the elixirs he made didn't light up his life with a bang, except in the most literal sense, for they didn't serve many purposes apart from his income. While he enjoyed his craft, sometimes it grew tiring, with ordering or finding ingredients and inventing things day in and day out, sometimes risking his safety in the process.  
No, they weren't the colour, the most interesting thing, in his life. That would have to be Feliciano.

"Ludwig! Are you listening? I was just talking about the flower I met!" Feliciano asked, grinning and looking up.  
He blinked before answering, "Ah, yes… You said you met him in Barcelona?"  
The Italian nodded enthusiastically, squeezing his hand, "Yes, just after the Bacchus mission! Bacchus followers are so mean… He's basically the god who invented crazed cults and I don't really like crazed cults because they don't listen to reason and you always have to use force on them!"  
Ludwig nodded along, smiling at his boyfriend's ramblings. It had gotten dark and they were lit only by the old-town streetlamps. There was nobody around because of the time, and the cafes that appealed mostly to tourists were closed, and it was perfect.

"What were you saying about the flower?" Ludwig asked. It was strange for Feliciano to drift off like that, not saying anything unless prompted.  
He blinked, "Ah, yes! His name was Antonio - Toni - and he was really nice! Apparently he was this rare sub-species of nymph or something that I'd never heard of. His aura was kind of like a nymph I guess, but it was a bit too spiky for one. I don't know why flowers would be spiky."  
Feliciano seemed strangely caught up in this mystery, thinking for a few seconds before continuing, "Ah, anyway, he ran his flower shop. It sold magical flowers!"

Ludwig raised an eyebrow, "Magical flowers…?"  
"Yes, magical flowers! Some of them had sort of the same effects as potions but some were unique and that sort of thing," he rambled on rather vaguely, betraying the fact he really didn't know much about it.  
"Hm… Interesting. Maybe I should meet him sometime, these flowers might be interesting in potions."  
Feliciano grinned, "Yes, yes, you should meet! Also, guess what happened!"

When he said something like this, there really was no way to know what happened, so Ludwig gave a long-suffering but affectionate smile, and said, "I'm not sure. What happened?"  
"Guess, guess!"  
He looked around at nothing in particular, trying to think of what could happen involving a flower-selling man named Antonio, "Hm… He mistook you for someone else?"  
"Nope!" Feliciano shook his head, "He flirted with Lovi! I know, right? I'm forcing Lovi to go at least one date with him because he was very nice and I'm sure they would be really good together."

"Really?" Ludwig said. He could not remember the last time Lovino had been in a committed relationship, if he had been at all while he had known him.  
"Don't you think they would be good together? I mean, you've never met him, but Toni is nice and funny and totally Lovi's type, if Lovi even has a type anymore," Feliciano said.  
"It would be good for Lovi," he agreed.  
His boyfriend nodded, "Yes! He deserves to be in a relationship."  
Strangely, he broke eye contact and looked down, an unreadable expression on his face, "He deserves… This kind of happiness."

There were a few beats of strange, unbearable silence before Feliciano suddenly said, "Do you want to take a break? Let's sit down, there's a bench right here!"  
"Okay…" Ludwig said, unsure about what could be causing the unusual behaviour.  
They stopped to sit down on a nearby bench, and Feliciano snuggled into him, which was normal but almost felt like a way to distract from the strange behaviour. He didn't want to press though, so they sat there for a little while before Ludwig noticed that Feliciano was shaking, ever so slightly.  
"Are you okay? Are you worried about something? What is it?" he asked, in an almost demanding tone.  
"I'm fine!" Feliciano said, "Well, I'm worried about something but I promise it's nothing so you shouldn't worry about me worrying."  
"Of course I will! You're my boyfriend, I care about you so if something is bothering you then you can talk to me about it."

The Italian broke eye contact yet again, seemingly wanting to say something but unable.  
Ludwig said, "Is it something about me-"  
"No!" Feliciano immediately said, "No, no! Nothing about you! It's all about me, because I'm unprepared and it seemed like such a good idea at first but I have no idea how to do it right without being disappointing or anything and I don't know how to make it romantic at all but I love you so much and I just can't say it and I should just say it without thinking and ruining it more so- will you marry me?"  
As the other stared in shock, he realised he had forgotten something and frantically searched his pockets to pull out a box, and then opened it to reveal a ring.

Ludwig stared, unable to do anything else. The proposal had been completely out of the blue, it had come in with a flash and a bang. It wasn't necessarily romantic or well thought out, but it was so undoubtedly Feliciano that he couldn't express how happy it made him. He couldn't express the joy it brought him to see his boyfriend awkwardly getting on one knee after everything else - doing things in reverse order - to see his nervous but slightly hardened, determined, face, and to see a perfect representation before him of how he had so helplessly fallen in love.  
Once he finally managed to find his words, he breathily said, "Of course."

In a perfect impression of the other's expression, Feliciano gaped in shock, and similarly couldn't find the words he needed. Instead, after a few seconds, everything that had just happened was tipped off by the acceptance, and he promptly burst into tears and launched himself into Ludwig.  
He embraced his now-fiancé, unable to stop smiling, and even as he wiped tears from his face Feliciano had a huge grin on his face. They spent an immeasurable amount of time there, before he quickly said, "Ah, the ring! Hold out your hand!"

Ludwig did as he was told, and they both stared down when Feliciano tried to put it on as they both realised it was too small.�"It doesn't fit," Feliciano said in an equal mix of shock, horror, and wonder, "I-It doesn't fit!"  
He looked like he about to cry again, staring down at it in an almost-frozen state, but against all odds he instead burst out laughing. It was a laugh of pure joy, after everything, and while Ludwig didn't quite understand what had prompted it he found himself joining in as he was caught up in the moment.  
Still giggling, Feliciano said, "I-It doesn't fit and I bought it in Barcelona! That means we have to go back, and we have to go back soon!"  
Realising the implications of this, Ludwig continued laughing along. It felt like minutes until they finally both got a grip on themselves.

"We need to go back right now!" Feliciano said, "We need to tell Lovi and Gil all about what just happened! And how the ring doesn't fit! Lovi is going to have to go on a date with Toni much sooner!"  
Ludwig still couldn't stop smiling, "Yes, we should tell them immediately. But we have quite a way back…"  
"Yes! A long walk. We should talk all about it," he said, and pulled Ludwig off the bench.

Ludwig was happy with his life and the way he lived, but sometimes things got boring and monotonous. It seemed that in those times Feliciano somehow knew and showed up as soon as possible, crashing into his routine and filling his life with new colour.  
As he embraced him, Feliciano said, "We need to make our wedding as amazing as possible! What will we need? Uh… A cake! And seats, right? Flowers, we'll need flowers! Maybe we can even ask Toni for those!"  
"I think we'll need a lot more than that," Ludwig said, but playfully, "And you only just met Toni."�"Then I'll pay him a lot!" Feliciano decidedly said, "And we can have all sorts of pretty things other than flowers! I've seen in movies sometimes they have doves, do you think we could have doves?"  
"Well, maybe we could. But how are we going to pay for it all?"

Feliciano grinned a perfect, beautiful grin, "I'll take on all sorts of jobs and I'll get super rich! And then we can have the best wedding in history!"  
"I'm not sure that would work. But we'll find a way," Ludwig said, just as decidedly. "We'll get there."  
He sighed happily and smiled as he looked down at Feliciano, "We'll definitely get there."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Proposal scenes are some of my absolute favourite to write.


	5. Daffodil

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> First date.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, lovely readers!  
> So, it seems that my chapters will be longer than expected...  
> This one's almost 4K, but I felt it was necessary. A lot of the later chapters will be content-heavy, too, so they're definitely going to be this long or even longer. I don't like to write chapters based on length, but rather on the natural way to split up the content!  
> Anyway, here you guys go!

**Daffodil:**   
_The daffodil is one of the most well-known flowers, positively associated with spring and new beginnings. Instead of causing new beginnings or change, it will propel them and give them more of a chance to work out. It works well with the betony, especially since it is much easier to grow. They are best grown together to further increase chances, and are to always be kept outside and watered daily. If water that you give them is spring water instead of tap water, the chances for the daffodils to be activated grow exponentially._

When Lovino Vargas found himself on a train to Barcelona for the third time that month, he wondered how the situation had so drastically changed since the first trip. It had gone from an ordinary job in another European city to getting an engagement ring that fit and a date with a florist he barely knew. He wasn't sure if he liked the latter change, but as he sat in the train compartment and saw Feliciano and Ludwig across from him, being all cheesy and romantic… He decided that the former definitely wasn't bad.

"The train in Paris is delayed," Ludwig said, eyebrow raised as he looked down at his phone. "We'll have to wait a few hours… And will get to Barcelona in the evening, at 6."  
"What?" Lovino snarled at the news. Of course the train was delayed. There never seemed to be a time when it wasn't!  
Feliciano didn't seem bothered by this at all, "That's okay, Lovi! Barcelona is really pretty at night, remember? There's that really big church; I think it's a church. Is it a church?"  
Ludwig softly smiled down at his now-fiancé, "Sagrada Família? Yes, I've heard it's rather spectacular…"

He scoffed, "Yeah, whatever. It's just an old church."  
As if personally offended (which he probably was), Feliciano gasped, "Don't say that about Sigrada Família! It's a World Heritage site! And it isn't old, it's actually still unfinished."  
"How the hell do you know that but not the name?"  
"Wikipedia!" Feliciano cheered, and Lovino did notice that he was looking intently down at Ludwig's phone. So, he simply grumbled and looked out the window, where the beautiful French countryside passed by as they approached Paris.

His brother noticed and also looked out the window, Ludwig also following as he turned off his phone. A relaxed smile graced Feliciano's face, "We don't go to France enough. We only see it pass by on trains!"  
Lovino frowned, "What about Marseille? Genieveve still sells her weaponry there, I'm fairly sure."  
"But that's just all water!" Feliciano said. "The French countryside is so pretty…"  
So it was simply the rural beauty that he missed… Pastures and rolling hills.

"Does the countryside have to be French?" Lovino said, passing it off as an afterthought.  
At first he didn't seem to understand, but then Feliciano frowned and looked down, "Oh…"  
Then he put a smile back on, but it felt a little more solemn than before, "Well, I suppose we are due for a visit home."  
"Definitely," Lovino sighed.  
A few quiet beats passed before Feliciano seemed to decide too much time had been spent brooding over the topic, so he grinned and looked up at Ludwig, "Do you think we could go to France for our honeymoon?"

A playful smile began to show on his fiancé's face, "I suppose. But if we did that, I'm not sure if we could also go to England and Australia and Tokyo, as you want to."  
Feliciano squawked in indignance, "But I want to go to all of them! I've only been to England a couple of times and only to Australia once because Lukas asked Lovi and I to and I've never been to Japan. And I want to see Kiku!"  
"You might have to make a decision, then. About where you want to go the most," Ludwig said. "I might have to help."  
"Okay! But help me choose a really good place," Feliciano said.  
"I wouldn't want to spend our honeymoon anywhere less than, well… Really good."

The countryside raced past Lovino's eyes as he leaned on his elbow. When had he realised that Feliciano and Ludwig were so perfect together? When things got serious? When they started dating? When they first met?  
He decided that the answer was important, and hoped for himself and Antonio and anyone he might date that it was far, far down the line.

\---

The theory that Antonio never closed his shop was becoming more and more likely. It was half past 6, but the sign still read 'OPEN', and Lovino wondered if the man ever slept.  
Whatever the reason was, it meant that the date was to happen tonight. He wasn't sure if he would've been more relieved if the flower shop had been closed and he had to come back tomorrow, but he sighed and strode into the little store.  
"Welcome to- Ah! Lovino!"

Antonio had stuck out his head, interrupting his own sentence once he saw that it was, in fact, Lovino Vargas standing in his shop. He walked towards him, element of surprise wearing off, "What are you doing here so soon?"  
"It's nothing to do with you," Lovino huffed. "Feli needed to return an object he bought in Barcelona."  
The florist finally gave his cheesy grin, "Well, I sure hope it wasn't what he bought here."�"Of course not."

He put his hands on his hips in a motion that slightly annoyed Lovino, and said, "Well! If you're back here, specifically, I'll assume that Feliciano gave you the flower."  
"…Yes," he replied.  
"And you liked it?" Antonio asked, in a hopeful way that seemed strangely naïve.  
"Yes," Lovino frowned. "But you didn't even know if I liked that type of flower!"

The florist laughed, a bright, cheerful laugh that got on his nerves, "Well, I suppose it was a bit of a risk! You don't know how I scared I was you might've been homophobic. But it seems it was worth it."  
"I suppose," Lovino half-grumbled.  
"So," Antonio brushed some of the soil on his gloves onto his apron, as if it would make him seem more appropriately dressed. "Would you like to go on a date, Lovino?"  
"Why else would I be here, bastard?" he exclaimed, prompting another laugh from Antonio.

His face seemed to light up, bright eyes sparkling in the light of the sunset that filtered into the shop, "I'm glad to hear that. I really am. I suppose now is good for you, if you came here at this time…?"  
"If it's fine for you," Lovino replied, fingers unconsciously playing with the hem of his shirt. When was the last time he had gone on a date? He really couldn't remember how long ago it had been.  
"Of course!" Antonio said. "Please, just give me a second, and then we can go. I was about to close up shop, anyway."  
Good. So he did actually sleep.

Lovino gave him time to take off his apron and clean himself up, and presumably finish things up in the shop. He didn't blame him for not being organised - he had just suddenly appeared, after all. But maybe that was partially Antonio's fault for not actually giving him his number. Who in their right mind gave a gardenia instead of a phone number?  
"Alright, I'm ready!" he said as he returned to the front of the shop. The outfit he had under the dirty apron was actually rather smart, with a dress shirt and pants, and he had switched out his boots for shiny brown shoes. It all made Lovino feel far too underdressed in his convenient t-shirt and jeans, weaponry hanging from his belt but hidden under the jacket tied around his waist. What was most surprisingly, however, was Antonio's gloves - he had swapped out the thick gardener gloves for thin white ones.

He frowned at the far too formally dressed man, "Do you keep that stuff lying around your shop?"  
Antonio shrugged, "Yep! Who knows when you might go on a spontaneous date with a cute guy?"  
Suddenly, there was a burning in his cheeks. God, Lovino hadn't been complimented like that in a long time, and he definitely didn't like it. He glared, "Bastard. Don't call me that."  
He started to walk out the shop, expecting Antonio to follow him. He did - catching up and walking side by side with him, "Oh, do you not like it? Sorry, would you rather I called you handsome?"

Ah.  
"Maybe you can stop with the fake compliments in general," he huffed.  
Antonio laughed, "Sure, but they're not fake!"  
Then he give his bright smile and looked over to Lovino, "So, where would you like to go? I assume we'll be having dinner."  
"You're the local. You tell me," he replied, though he was very aware he had no idea where he was walking. He had just picked a direction and started going nowhere in particular.  
"Hm…" Antonio put his hand up to his chin in a stereotypical gesture, but actually seemed to be giving it some thought. "Do you mind going somewhere owned by humans?"

Lovino didn't quite get the question, but he supposed some Others might have bias against human-owned establishments. He found such a thing nonsensical (though maybe it was because he was a demigod), so he replied, "Of course not. As long as the food is good, I don't care who owns it."  
"Great!" he replied. "Then I know just the place. It's nearby, too, so we can walk there."

Despite his insistence on how boring and similar he found European cities, Lovino had to admit he admired Barcelona's street art. The old-fashioned buildings he had seen a million times before, in different climates, cultures, but old all the same, were decorated with beautiful murals and designs.  
Antonio noticed him staring up at them and grinned, "Isn't the street art here amazing?"  
"Hmph. I guess," Lovino said, still admiring how breathtaking it was.  
They walked past a girl sleeping in a patch of flowers, an array of bright, stylised characters, a few celebrities that he recognised. To his surprise, there were a few stylised but violent ones as well, such as the detailed anatomy of a crocodile and a hairy black dog impaled with spears.

Antonio started to walk a little faster, and Lovino frowned. Before he could ask, the florist said, "We're almost there!"  
Indeed, it only took them a few more minutes to get to the promised restaurant. It was a humble little thing, and gave him the same sort of feeling as the flower shop did. Antonio said, "Sorry if it's not too fancy. I didn't have much time to plan, after all!"  
"That's fine," Lovino replied. He hadn't been expecting anything exceptional, anyway. Should he? He needed to get used to this sort of thing again.

Despite the fact it was rather small, when the two of them walked inside there were quite a few customers. It had a sort of homely atmosphere, which normally would've made Lovino feel sick because of the cheesiness, but it didn't seem to be forcing it. He didn't mind as much because it was naturally comfortable.  
They sat down at a two-seated table, and Antonio smiled down at the menu he opened up, "This place has some more traditional Catalan food. Most places in Barcelona make it with, um, a sort of modern twist? But this place sticks to the roots."  
Lovino frowned, but not unpleasantly, "Ah, so you're into that sort of traditional stuff?"  
He laughed, but looked a little abashed as he rubbed his cheek with his finger, "Well, yes, I suppose. Is that strange?"

The response was adamant, "Of course not. There's nothing wrong with being connected with your culture."  
The smile from Antonio was very genuine this time, "I'm glad that you think that."  
Lovino's heart fluttered a little so he stared down at the menu, and as his date had promised, it seemed to be primarily Catalan dishes. However, this almost meant the menu was a jumble of foreign words that held no meaning to him, and which he couldn't identify the dishes for. The expression on his face must have betrayed his confusion, because Antonio said, "You probably don't know what any of these are, right?"

He looked up at him and said, "No. I'm not familiar with Catalan cuisine."  
Antonio nodded in response, "That's fine! That means I can introduce you to it. Would you like me to recommend something for you?"  
Without any alternative other than blind guessing, which he predicted wouldn't end well, Lovino nodded and Antonio immediately pointed at something on his menu, "I'd say the fideuà would suffice for anyone unfamiliar. It's a seafood dish with noodles, and they serve it with shrimp and monkfish here."

Despite how small the restaurant was, Lovino was glad to have an opportunity to eat Catalan cuisine. As someone interested in food, he would've liked to go to more authentic European restaurants when he had jobs in different countries, but usually he was too tired or exhausted to seek out genuine cuisine and instead opted for fast food. Being a hireable demigod was an exhausting job, after all.  
Antonio ordered what he said was some sort of seafood soup, and they listened to the faint, tinny music playing in the restaurant. It was in Spanish, but Lovino recognised a few words because of their similarities with Italian, and the repeated 'amor' made him suspect it was a love song.

As they continued to wait, Antonio looked over at him, still smiling (rather stupidly, Lovino decided). He said, "You're a hireable demigod, right? This is probably a stupid question, but what is it like?"  
Lovino snorted, "Yes. Stupid and vague."  
He spent a few seconds to think, before continuing, "It is… An exciting life, but I suppose you'd expect that. It gets very exhausting some days, and really it doesn't even pay that much…"  
Antonio raised an eyebrow, "Do you not like it?"�He shrugged, "I wouldn't say that. It's just not the best career out there."

The florist hummed thoughtfully, "I see. Would you consider a career change, then?"  
Lovino scoffed and shook his head, "There's nothing else that I can do."  
"Hm? What do you mean?"  
He frowned, unsure if he should be saying so much personal stuff, "Never…"

Then he looked up at Antonio's curious but kind face, and thought of what happened a few nights ago. He sighed and averted his eyes and said, "I'm not sure if you know this, but most top-tier demigods are trained from birth or at least early childhood. There is little room for much else."  
Antonio eyes quietly widened in understanding, and he whispered a soft, "Oh…"  
But, he pushed on more on the topic, sitting back in his chair and letting Lovino decide whether or not to continue.

He didn't know why, but Antonio was horrifyingly easy to tell secrets and personal details. Lovino would equate him to a siren in a sense, but he didn't know whether he was being steered towards rocky cliffs or a safe shore.  
…Maybe that was too extreme of a comparison. Well, Lovino was a man of extremes.  
He still didn't know if he liked Antonio being so irresistible to spill his life story to, so he decided to ease up on the personal details. It actually seemed to be a symptom of just being around the man, along with a strange sense of comfort and ease. He was just… Easy to talk to. The personal subjects came up naturally and flowed along with the conversation.  
He just decided he was overthinking it and attributed it to his soft aura.

The food finally arrived, which made Antonio break out of his contemplative expression into a grin, "Great, our food's here! Now you can taste authentic Catalan culture."  
For some reason, this made Lovino laugh, "Taste culture?"  
He pouted, "Yeah! Food is basically just tasteable culture, isn't it?"  
"Well… I suppose?" he said, rather sceptical.

Lovino didn't hesitate with the fideuà, immediately having a taste of it. His eyes widened as he chewed - he had expected a reasonably generic seafood dish, but it had a distinct taste he hadn't been expected. A certain kick to it, unknowable when you simply looked at the dish.  
"What do you think?" Antonio asked, as he sipped the soup that he had ordered.  
"It's okay," he replied, which got a hearty laugh in return. He felt his cheeks burn as he ate his food.

They ate together in comfortable silence for a while, but there was something that was bugging Lovino. At first he had been unsure if it was an acceptable question for a first date, but after how strangely personal the conversation had been earlier, he decided that Antonio owed him at least a little insight in the workings of his strange mind.  
And so he asked, "Why did you flirt with me?"  
The question clearly took Antonio by surprise, and he blinked, "Hm? What do you mean by that? It is because you are cu- no, handsome. And I like your personality."  
Lovino sneered, "Really? Not many people say that about me."

This didn't faze him, and Antonio shrugged, "I assume those people just judge you on how you outwardly act. To see what someone is really like, you need to pay a little more attention. Like how you bought from my shop even though you weren't too interested to be polite, and how much you clearly cared about your brother. And even now I can see that you're a kind person - answering my bold questions and trying a restaurant like this."  
Through the entire impromptu rant, Lovino could only stare, "Are you serious? That's creepy, that you noticed all that."  
Then the florist laughed again, and his stupid heart skipped a beat, "Actually, I think it's rather rude to ignore all of it. People are people, you know? Stereotyping them so easily is very misguided."  
He looked down at his fideuà, thinking about how the night had passed, "…I suppose. But that's easier said than done."

This made Antonio raise an eyebrow, studying Lovino's expression, "Well, that is true as well… It's a difficult balance."  
"It always is."

They finished the rest of the meal in another comfortable silence, and once again Lovino felt Antonio's soft, warm aura and felt strangely safe in the man's company. As he ate the last mouthfuls of his meal, he realised that maybe Feliciano had been right.  
When they had both finished their food, Lovino checked his watch and frowned, "It's 8. I should probably be getting back to my hotel."  
Antonio nodded, putting down his spoon, "Of course! How far away is it? Do you need to take the bus, because-"  
"It's near your shop, bastard," Lovino replied, and he grinned in reply.

The two of them split the bill and walked out of the restaurant, with night long come and a slight chill in the air. It was nothing compared to Germany, however, so even in his t-shirt Lovino did not feel very cold.  
As they walked back towards the shop, it was in silence. In the span of a night, the two already seemed to have found a comfortable rhythm even as they stayed quiet, and Lovino admired the street art with only his eyes.

It all went too fast, and by the time they were almost at the store, he felt heat creeping into his cheeks and realised that he still had not said what he wanted to. Or had done what he wanted to. Of course he couldn't have in the restaurant, but there were no judgmental eyes in the backstreets they walked through and…  
No, he was being too hasty.  
Nevertheless, when he started to recognise the streets around him as the ones near the flower shop, he finally said, "I had a nice night tonight. Thank you."  
Antonio nodded, and the smile he had been keeping on the entire time grew a little, "I'm glad to hear that, Lovino. I had a good time, too."  
A warm, bubbly feeling started to fill Lovino's chest, and he wasn't sure how much he hated it.

Once they reached the front of the long-closed store, he turned to Antonio and said, "I'll take the rest of the way alone."  
The florist hesitated for a second, "Ah. Okay. It's rather dark now, though."  
"I'm a demigod, so I'll be fine," Lovino replied. They stood facing each other for a few seconds, neither of them able to move or even to say goodbye. He looked at his date one last time, and suddenly felt his chest swell and… He liked Antonio, an awful, awful lot. Would this be too forward for the first date, though?  
Antonio bit his lip, averting his eyes, and said, "Alright, then I should be going-"�"Wait.  
He made his decision.

Seemingly glad, Antonio raised an eyebrow, "Yes? Is there anything more you want to say, or do, or…"  
Lovino raised his head confidently, "I'm going to kiss you now."  
The whole indecision he had just had made him feel like a middle schooler on an awkward date with their first girlfriend, not an adult man who had just had a very lovely night. Indeed, Antonio only seemed surprised for a few seconds, before he broke out into that grin again and said, "Go ahead, then."  
And that's just what he did.

The kiss was hesitant, Lovino's lips brought against Antonio's as he reached out his hand to grip the other's wrist. It only lasted a few seconds, but there were a few seconds that made his heart soar and were a perfect end to the night.  
He broke it when he felt the time was right, and saw Antonio's green eyes still bright in the dim light. Just as he was about to let go of his wrist, Antonio slipped an arm around his waist and pulled him in for another kiss. Lovino spent a few seconds in surprise, but didn't resist and began to kiss back. This one lasted substantially longer than the first one, and Antonio didn't hesitate at all when Lovino's hand tightened around his wrist, with the arm around his waist holding him strongly. It definitely helped, as well, as he begun to feel a little faint as Antonio parted his lips and went in for a deeper kiss.

By the time it was over, Lovino almost stumbled but was held up but his date's arm, "Are you okay?"  
He nodded, "I'm fine. …Thank you."  
Antonio Fernandez-Carriedo was an amazing kisser.

The two of them said their somewhat hesitant goodbyes, not forgetting to exchange phone numbers this time. As Lovino started to walk back to the hotel, there was nobody from who he had to hide his ever-growing smile.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> They did... A kiss!  
> Things are looking good for these two.


	6. Purple Lilac

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A proper date this time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, lovely readers!  
> Sorry for the late update. I always like to write the next chapter before uploading, and I was struggling with Chapter 6. Luckily, it's done, so here's Chapter 5!
> 
> Warning: This chapter contains sexual themes and allusions to violence, but nothing graphic

**Purple Lilac:**   
_The purple lilac is the more well-known type of lilac over its white counterpart. It is to be used at the beginning of a new romantic relationship, and generally increases the chances of accepting a new partner, whether it consists of overlooking flaws or searching for values. This is to be used on yourself instead of on your partner (for an effect on your partner, see pink rose bud). It must be cultivated carefully; watered with only distilled water and moved to a different position at least twice a day._

If it weren't for his better judgement, Lovino would've sworn that Feliciano didn't want to get married.  
"Lovi!" he groaned as his brother clicked through to yet another page of their business email. "Can't we just take one break? An itsy-bitsy little one?"  
"We're funding your wedding, Feli," he replied as he scrolled through various cries for help. "Did you really think it would be that easy? That we wouldn't have to work to get enough money?"  
He huffed, "It's not like I didn't think we'd need money! I just thought we could get enough through our normal pace…"

Lovino shook his head, still not looking away from the screen, "You want to invite a lot of guests, right? And have fancy decorations? And a big cake? And all that sappy romantic stuff? You do know big weddings can get up to 80 000 euros?"  
"What?" Feliciano exclaimed.  
He snorted, "Clearly, you haven't considered this."  
"Well, we won't need a dress!" he replied. "I'm sure that cuts it down by at least 10 000 euros!"  
"How much do you think wedding dresses are? Besides, you'll need suits."

He groaned dramatically once again and collapsed onto Lovino.�"Have you even talked to Ludwig about this?" his brother finally broke eye contact with the screen and looked down at him. "You're going to need a proper budget if this wedding's going to happen. You'll need to get catering, a bakery to make the cake, a venue, and which country is it even going to be in? You know that gay marriage isn't legal in Italy or Germany!"  
Feliciano pouted, "But Lovi… I haven't had a chance to talk to Ludwig. Ever since we came back from Barcelona, we've been working."  
Ah. He was right, wasn't he?

Lovino looked down at his almost ridiculously despondent brother, eyes gravitating towards the engagement ring on his finger. He remembered when he had come back from his date with Antonio for Feliciano to excitedly show off his engagement ring, saying how the mishap had ended up allowing both of them to share rings. Upon asking where he had gotten the money for it, Ludwig had cut in and said they had each bought each other's ring.  
"We're supposed to be partners," Feliciano said when he caught Lovino looking down at the ring. "I just need some time… I want some time to help plan my wedding. Just a few days, then we can go straight back to work…"

A few seconds, before Lovino sighed and put an arm around his brother, "Alright, I guess I was being a little harsh… You can't work towards enough money for a budget if you don't know the budget yet, after all."  
Finally, there was a grin from his brother, "Exactly! You understand! I love you, Lovi!"  
Still beaming, he snuggled into Lovino. His brother groaned, "No need to oversell it, bastard…"  
Nevertheless, Lovino absentmindedly began to stroke Feliciano's hair with his thumb.

After a few minutes, in which Lovino continued to look for jobs to undertake after their break, something suddenly seemed to come to Feliciano. He shot up with a huge grin, "I just realised something!"  
"...What?" Lovino asked sceptically.  
"You know what you can do during this?" he smirked. "Go on another date with Toni…"  
He groaned dramatically, "I promised one."

"But you enjoyed it, I know you did!" Feliciano said. "I know you did because you didn't complain at all about Toni which really is amazing for you! You must really like him, Lovi-"  
"Shut up! There's plenty to complain about Antonio. Like, he's underprepared-"�"Because you sprung the date on him."�"And he's weirdly causal about some things-"  
"You need to loosen up a bit, Lovi!"  
"And he… He…"

As Lovino desperately tried to think of Antonio's flaws, Feliciano's smirk only grew further, "I knew it. Go on another date with him!"  
He slumped in defeat and sighed, "Fine."  
"Yay! I can really see you and Toni together!" he said.  
Lovino snorted, "Sure."  
Despite what he said, he was quietly, privately, starting to see it himself.

\---

It was a proper date this time, where they actually set up the time and organised a meeting place and decided what they were going to do. Lovino frowned down at his phone, where Antonio had arranged for them to meet at 2pm at his shop, along with an onslaught of painful emojis. He texted with the eloquence Lovino would expect from someone's mother, with little to no slang or abbreviations and a gross misunderstanding of the correct usage of emojis. Which was never, by his personal standards.

He sighed and shoved his phone away to look ahead as he approached the flower shop. The sign said it was open but Lovino was still surprised to hear voices in the shop, as usually it didn't have too many customers from what he'd seen. And raised voices, too…�"Ja us he dit. Sortir de la meva botiga," one of the voices said, which he recognised as Antonio. His voice wasn't as loud as the other; calm but somewhat strained. They were probably speaking in Spanish.  
"Sortiu de Barcelona! Sortir de Catalunya!" the other voice replied, one he didn't recognise. It held much more of an edge to it. Lovino wasn't sure if he was intruding in something, and hesitated outside of the door.

"No em pot obligar a sortir de casa meva-" Antonio spoke with surprising urgency.  
The stranger only got louder, "És la nostra primera casa! No es mereix aquesta terra després del que ens ha fet."  
"No hi estaves per aquí."  
"Aquestes persones l'han 'tolerat' el temps suficient. Els he parlat. La gent ha començat a acceptar que hauríem d'actuar." There was something about the stranger's tone that Lovino distinctly didn't like.  
"Quin tipus d'acció? Què vols fer amb mi?" it sounded like there was a little fear in Antonio's voice, but it seemed to be overtaken by… Resignation?

"Et trencarem. Deixeu-ho abans de fer-ho."  
For some reason, that phrase sent a chill down Lovino's spine despite the fact he couldn't understand it. There was such an underlying level of malice in the tone that he was sure the stranger had some bad intention, well-versed in such a thing after his long career as a demigod. He was just about to step in before the stranger seemingly decided they were done, and marched out of the shop. Lovino only got a glimpse; a tall man with wavy brown hair tied back into a ponytail and striking green eyes. He paused for a second to glance at Lovino, frowning, before continuing on his way without saying anything.

Unsure of what he had just witnessed, he walked into the shop to see Antonio, gripping his hands together with a pensive expression. However, when he saw Lovino, he immediately brightened, "Lovino! You made it on time."  
The demigod frowned as he stepped towards Antonio, "Who was that just now? The man who stormed out?"�He flinched a little at the mention of him, "Oh, him? Just a rude customer, don't worry about it! Now, are you ready to go?"  
Eagerly, Antonio turned Lovino around and joined him side-by-side, but he wasn't about to let it go, "What were you saying? I don't understand Spanish."  
At this, he looked at him quizzically for a few seconds before laughing, "Oh, I understand your mistake! We were speaking Catalan."

Lovino narrowed his eyes as they walked out of the store together, Antonio making sure to turn the sign to say the store was closed. He looked away and huffed, "Parlo solo italiano e inglese, bastardo."  
"I wasn't insulting you or anything!" Antonio exclaimed. "Most people get the languages mixed up, anyway."  
He let the man lead him presumably in the direction of the bus stop. The streets of Barcelona had a distinctly different feel in the daytime, and Lovino felt his stupid heart leap at seeing his date in the natural light.

"What do you think of historical sites like this?" Antonio asked as they walked side-by-side.�Lovino huffed, "Tourist-y, for the most part. Feliciano loves going to them when we have free time in any boring European city but I don't care too much. Unless the history is actually interesting."  
He seemed almost indignant at this, "Castell de Montjuïc is interesting! Lots of interesting history."  
"Uh-huh," Lovino said noncommittally. "Will we get a tour, then?"  
"I know all about Catalan history! You can just ask me, we don't have to pay for some jaded tour guide to recite the bare minimum."�"Hmph. I suppose."

They reached the bus stop on time, but still had to wait a few minutes for the bus to arrive. Once they got on, the two had to stand. A sour expression overtook Lovino's face as he remembered how much he hated public transport. Antonio only grinned at this, "Don't you like buses, Lovi?"  
He narrowed his eyes, unsure of when Antonio had started to call him 'Lovi', "No. They're crowded and jolt too much."  
With another bright laugh, he said, "I guess that's one way to put it!"  
He could tell that Antonio agreed.

To the benefit of Lovino's sanity, the bus ride didn't last too long. He frowned as Antonio lead them off the bus. Weren't they supposed to be going up a mountain? Surely it would be longer than that. And, well, steeper.  
Once they got off, Lovino asked, "Weren't we supposed to be going up the mountain?"�Antonio tilted his head, "Hm, didn't I tell you? From here, we're taking the cable car."  
Fuck.

Lovino's fear of heights was a well-kept secret that only three people on Earth knew about, because thankfully the rest were dead. He intended to keep it that way, especially as a reasonably high-profile hireable demigod. He couldn't imagine how much of a hit his reputation would take if such a fact came out to the public. Therefore, he had to go on this cable car. It would be fine.  
At his hesitation, Antonio looked over at him, "Are you okay with-"  
"Of course!" Lovino exclaimed. "I don't mind. At all. Sounds great."  
"Um. Okay."

He had to control his stupid nerves as they walked to the station. Antonio had to present pre-purchased tickets, which only forced him further into a corner. He had already paid for this, so it wasn't like Lovino could back out now. Still, his stomach felt like it was doing flips as they went to sit inside the cable car, waiting for the wicked contraption to start up.  
Antonio smiled over at Lovino, "Have you ever been on a cable car before?"  
Trying to ignore his impending doom, he shook his head, "No…"  
"Oh, the view's amazing! You're really going to enjoy it!"  
He was not going to look out the window.

Lovino managed to control himself from jumping out of his skin when the car they were in started moving. Antonio smiled and looked out of the window as they started to lift off the ground. Well, at least he was enjoying it.  
He felt his stomach lurch as it began to climb higher and higher, and kept his eyes firmly on the floor of the car. Of course, this didn't take Antonio long to notice, "Hm? Is anything wrong?"  
He shook his head, "I'm fine."  
"You don't look-"  
"I'm fine."

Antonio said, "Aren't you going to look out the window?"  
"I'm perfectly fine like this," Lovino half-snapped, mostly to fight the nerves as the car swayed a little. The car was going to fall and he was going to die in a fucking cable car accident instead of in combat.  
"Lovi…" Antonio said, a careful tone in his voice, "Are you afraid of heights?"  
"No."  
"Yes you are."

He pouted and managed to look over to Antonio as he tried not to think of his broken body when the car fell, "Fine. I am."  
He gave a gentle smile and said, "I'm sorry, I didn't even consider it. I was just so excited to show you my city from the air…"  
Lovino sighed, "It's fine. You wouldn't expect a demigod to be afraid of heights. It's all my fault."�He shivered when the cable car swayed. Antonio replied, indignant, "Of course it isn't! You can't control what you're afraid of."  
The cable car swayed rather aggressively and he took a shuddering breath, "God, we're going to fall and die."�"We won't! It's very secure-"�"We're still going to die!"

Antonio frowned, and suddenly took on a very serious expression. He looked at Lovino straight in the eyes and said, "Don't you think that 'lackadaisical' is a very interesting word?"  
Lovino squinted in disbelief, "What?"  
"Don't you think 'lackadaisical' is a very interesting word? No, don't look down, look at me. Don't you think?"  
He managed to say, "Well, I suppose, but-"  
"Come on, say it with me! Lack-a-dai-si-cal! Isn't it so fun to say?"  
Finally realising what he was doing, Lovino hesitantly repeated, "Lack-a-dai-si-cal…"

Breaking out into a grin, Antonio said, "There you go! But say it with more vigour. Lack-a-dai-si-cal!"  
"Lack-a-dai-si-cal!"  
"Yes, yes, now you're getting it!" the florist exclaimed. "Now, is there a word in Italian that's similar."�Lovino paused to think, "Uh… Maybe 'apatico'."  
Antonio nodded, "In Spanish, I'd say 'lánguido' or 'perezoso'! In Catalan, maybe 'mandrós'."  
"This is ridiculous," Lovino said.  
"Exactly! What's another word that's fun to say? Uh… How about 'morosely'?"

He blinked, "What does that mean?"  
"Sadly, I guess, but a different type of sad?" Antonio mused. "Maybe despondently would work."  
"I have no idea what that means, either," Lovino pouted.  
"'Trist'! Or in Spanish, 'triste'! But with an extra 'e'. Isn't language strange?"

While the confusion had originally made it work, the effect was slowly wearing off and with each lurch of the cable car, his stomach followed. Antonio seemed to realise this and quickly said, "Lovi! Stay with me. I won't let you stop talking in the middle of our very intellectual discussion."  
"How is this-"  
All of a sudden, Antonio leaned forward and grasped Lovino's hand in his. Despite the gloves and bandages separating him from bare skin, he could feel his heart rate increase. "We're going to see the castle, Lovi. I'll tell you all about the War of Spanish Succession and the Spanish Civil War and we'll get afternoon tea and walk around and look at old buildings. Okay? Just stay with me."

Slowly, Lovino nodded. Antonio grinned, "Good! Now, can you think of another word for 'sad'? We really need to nail a good definition of 'morosely'."  
As they discussed words and languages and all their weird quirks, he slowly felt his heart grow at ease despite being in the air. It was that calming aura, most probably, but he found that he couldn't use that as the only excuse as he saw Antonio Fernandez-Carreido's dazzling smile.  
Quietly, he realised how much he didn't want this date to end.

When they finally reached the top of the mountain, Antonio quickly lead Lovino out of the cable car. He took a deep breath when he finally stepped onto solid ground, and his date didn't let go of his hand, "See, you made it! It wasn't that bad, was it?"  
Finally able to think straight, Lovino discovered how wounded his pride was. He huffed, "I wasn't that scared, anyway."  
Antonio laughed, "Sure, sure! Now come on, I need to show you the castle! Oh, the view first!"

He lead Lovino around to a more accessible view, and despite himself, Lovino almost let a gasp escape from his lips when he looked out over the view. Of course, he hadn't been looking out on the cable car trip, but now that he was on solid ground he was free to see Barcelona spread out before him. It certainly looked different from this angle, completely separated from the brown, boring view he originally had of the city.  
Upon looking at his awed face, Antonio grinned, "Isn't it beautiful?"  
"Well… Yes. I suppose," Lovino replied, though his expression betrayed how he felt.

After a few seconds of looking out at the city, Antonio turned to him and said, "How about a picture?"  
"Huh?"  
He slipped his phone out his phone, "A picture! Come on, isn't it a wonderful view?"  
Lovino frowned. Personally, he wasn't someone who enjoyed excessive picture-taking, especially selfies… But Antonio looked ridiculously excited, so he scoffed and shook his head and said, "Alright."  
So, he let Antonio take a selfie of the two of them, city stretching out behind them. He found that he didn't particularly hate the picture, so said, "Can you send that to me?"  
"Sure!" his date replied, quickly texting it to him before the two went on their way, Antonio still gripping tightly to his hand.

The day went by so quickly that Lovino felt breathless as it progressed. While he wasn't a big fan of old buildings, he did have an admiration for the architecture of the castle and how it had lasted so long. The whole experienced was enhanced by Antonio's insightful commentary on what seemed to be every nook and cranny of the castle, as if he had memorised its entire history. It didn't feel like a tour, either, because in-between the long stretches of serious history there were moments where they talked about Italy and Barcelona and language and where Antonio's laugh convinced him more and more that this really could work.

Once the day finally came to a close, the two found themselves at the same point where they had first arrived in the castle. However, now there was a sun sinking over the city, Lovino knew a substantial amount about the War of Spanish Succession, and he desperately found himself wanting more. He knew that they had organised to end the date at this time, but he didn't want to get let go of Antonio's hand.  
The florist smiled over at him and said, "So… We should get going. Did you enjoy the day?"  
Lovino nodded and gripped his hand tighter, "Yes. Very much."

There were still people milling around, but since Barcelona was thankfully an accepting city, Antonio put a hand on Lovino's waist and brought him in for a kiss. It was different from last night, lasted longer, went deeper. By the time they broke it, both clearly wanted it to linger, but instead they stood quietly, not quite in each other's arms. There were a few enduring seconds before Antonio put on a smile and said, "So, uh… We should get going. I'll take you to your hotel; where are you staying?"  
It was then that Lovino realised he had not booked a hotel.

He stared over at Antonio, not quite sure what to do. The florist's smile faltered for a second and he said, "Um… So where-"�"I was hoping I could have dinner at your place. If you're okay with that," Lovino said, and there were a few moments without a response when he felt himself panicking a little. Had he been too hasty? Had he pushed too far only on the second date? Was Antonio even that sort of man? But his anxieties were quelled when a huge smile broke across Antonio face and he replied, "Yeah. That can work."  
And it did.

\---

The air was heavy with breath and sweat as Lovino lay next to Antonio. Still feeling as if he had to catch his breath, he stared up at the ceiling, and he felt the weight of Antonio leaning into his side. Usually, he wasn't one for cuddling or talking after sex, but perhaps how long he had spent without going on a date had changed things.  
Lovino leaned into Antonio as he kissed his cheek, and then said, "You're very good at this, Lovi."  
"You're not too bad yourself," Lovino admitted. That was an understatement, of course. To his chagrin, the florist was equally good at sex as he was at kissing.

Giving a contended sigh, Antonio rested his head on his chest.  
After a few minutes of perfect silence, he looked up at Lovino and said, "So…"  
"So?"  
Antonio moved to prop himself up on his elbow, smiling across at Lovino, whose stupid heart leaped again, "I've had a wonderful time with you, Lovi. So… Are 'we' going to be a 'thing'?"  
He snorted at the euphemisms, "You can just ask to be my boyfriend."  
"Okay," Antonio gave another kiss, "Am I going to be your boyfriend?"

Lovino looked over at the man he had just spent the day with. He looked over at the man who he had met in the backstreets of Barcelona, in a little flower shop, the man who was completely incomprehensible to him but somehow also the most exceptional person he had ever met. Why did he feel so stupidly giddy when he was with him?  
He looked Antonio up and down, naked and beautiful and with hands entwined in his and said, "I want that. I really want that."  
His brow furrowed, "You want it? Can't you just have it?"  
"I-I…" Lovino looked down, not knowing the best way to explain. He'd had to say it many times before, and it never got easier.

Luckily, the other man waited, and once he finally found the words he looked back in his eyes, "I'm a demigod. A hireable demigod. Just because I'm a good one doesn't mean I'm free of risk. Every quest I go on is dangerous, and I could die on any of them. Are you okay with that?"  
Antonio's lips parted and his brow furrowed further, "I… I don't understand what you mean by that."  
Lovino sighed in exasperation, mostly directed towards himself, and tried to think of another way. After a few moments consideration, he took one of Antonio's hands. Despite the bandages, it was warm against his skin.

A little hesitantly, he guided it so it softly touched three parallel scars, the ones that stretched across his ribs. He shivered a little at the touch, and said, "I received this from a hellhound when I was 15. It was a stupid mistake, and I was relying too much on Feli to cover for me."  
Though Antonio was nodding, it was hesitant, and there was a confused expression on his face, "I see…"  
Gingerly, he moved the hand again so it rested on what had once been a deep gash across his thigh. Antonio's breath hitched a little, and Lovino said, "I got this from cutting my leg open against sharp rocks in a lake. When I had been struggling against a kelpie trying to drown me. I was 17."

By now, Antonio seemed to be understanding. Lovino suspected he didn't have to show him much more, but still guided his fingers towards a mess of scars above his heart, "These came from a valravn. They're a sort of Norse raven… They eat children's hearts. One ripped open my chest and tried to get to my heart, but luckily it couldn't break my ribs before my papa stabbed it. I was 8."  
His eyes went wide and his lips parted, but he didn't seem to be able to find the words to respond. So, Lovino moved his hands gently one more time, to a thin, wicked-looking scar right on the base of his throat. "I got this from Feliciano."  
He said nothing more about it.

A few beats were spent in silence, Antonio unsure of how to respond, until Lovino concluded, "I can die at any time, Antonio… And demigods don't live long lives. I'll never be able to grow old with someone, or share a life together. Is that okay with you?"  
There were a few eternal moments before Antonio looked straight into his eyes and whispered, "Of course it is. You're amazing, Lovino."�Of all the responses he had been prepared for, this certainly wasn't one of them, "W-What?"  
"You're amazing, to have survived all this… To be brave enough to keep going despite all of this happening to you," Antonio whispered to him, tightly gripping Lovino's hand.

The demigod stared in frustration and wonder, "Bastard. That's not what I was trying to say. I was trying to tell you that… A long-term relationship might not be an option because I can die at any time."  
Despite everything, despite the topic matter, Antonio laughed his bright, clear laugh, which Lovino found himself wanting to hear forever. He smiled over at him and said, "Lovi, each moment I spend with you is magical. Half the time, I don't even think I deserve them. I don't need years and years, because every second is amazing to me."  
It was a line straight out of a cheesy romance movie, but Lovino's unwitting heart leapt anyway. He half-glared, though it was clear he wasn't actually annoyed, "That's the cheesiest thing anyone's ever said to me, and it's only the second date."  
Another laugh. "Good! You don't mind, do you?"

Antonio was now leaning right over him, eyes gleaming with humour and compassion. Lovino sighed and replied, "No. Bastard."  
A huge grin spread across his face and he virtually collapsed onto him, arms wrapping affectionally around his body, "So. Can I be your boyfriend, then?"  
Lovino looked across at him, stupid grin and all, and simply replied, "Yes. If you want to be."  
"I thought we already established that!" he exclaimed with fake indignance, then giggled a little and kissed him again. Lovino could feel a smile pulling on his lips, and kissed back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was a pretty big chapter!  
> So, they had sex, and now they're dating! Which is great, but now that I've set up the relationships properly I can finally get to the plot drama.  
> There were already hints of some in this chapter... I used Google Translate for the Catalan, so I'm sorry if it's inaccurate. You can translate it back if you want, but it's mostly just vague foreshadowing. If you want to stay completely surprised and feel as though you're still viewing it from Lovino's eyes, I recommend not translating it...  
> If this story were split into acts, this would probably be the end of the first act for obvious reasons. Now, I hope you enjoy the oncoming drama...

**Author's Note:**

> Hm, I wonder what that could mean...  
> Thanks for reading!


End file.
